anyone ridden during winter?

[scooterlord]

well, finished university the past month and am about to go back to my hometown, aka have to ride there. it's a 675km ride and winter here in greece can be quite harsh. it's quite cold already here in the center of athens, so i guess it will be a lot colder going norther and a lot colder in open areas and fields.

i have my arai, my dainese jacket, a pair of bering leather gloves and boots. i will probably wear 2 pants one on top of the other, but only one top underwear and a 'thin' top because i don't want it to mes with my jacket. i hate it when i cant move.

has anyone tried this before? i am thinking of temperatures as low as 0-5 celsius (hopefully). and I hope it doesn't snow. cause i'll be left in the middle of the ride and probably die of cold P rain, i don't mind... well, of course i do, but i can bear with it.

expecting suggestions, comments, whatever. worst circumstances i experienced on a ride was 300km of constant rain. it was ok :/

 

[BigBSBusa]

You are better than I am! I love my 'Busa, but I wouldn't be out ridin' in temperatures like that!

 

[skathegip]

i would be looking for a buddy with a truck! i rode last weekend at 38degrees, and after 20 mile out, i couldnt wait to get home.

 

[BulletTrain]

Well, I won't ride when it's near cold enough for ice to be ANYWHERE on the roads but I've done some research lately on ridin' in the cold. I've been fightin' winterizin' the 10 for the winter because I wanna ride dammit! I done ok on some cool days but now that it's really gettin' cold (supposed to have a high in the 30's today and tomorrow with snow flurries tomorrow) thoughts of Pit Bulls, fresh oil, and Stabil are gettin' easier to stomache.

What I've picked up from askin' questions and doin' some readin' though is this... Stayin' warm seems to be all about layers. Ya want a nice insulatin' layer and then ya want a good water/wind proof layer. The insulation layer can be one or several layers of different types of clothing. Thermal underwear, Underarmour Cold Gear, some sort of Thinsulate type material with normal clothing layered over it, etc... The outer layer needs to be somethin' that stops outside airflow from disruptin' your warm layer of body heat trapped underneath it.

I haven't gotten far enough into it to have tried many different brands and/or types of gear so I'm not much help on exactly what to get for your trip. For most of the ridin' I've done lately a pair of thermal undies with jeans over them, an Underarmour Cold Gear long sleeve shirt under a normal hayabusa.org t-shirt (short sleeve in cool weather, long sleeve in cold weather), and my FirstGear MeshTex II nylon jacket with it's windbreaker style liner zipped in has been enough to keep it enjoyable. The only thing that still gets really cold is my hands and sometimes my neck. I've only ridden in temps down in the 40's (f) with this set up though.

Just layer up and make sure you have the windproof outer layer in place. I think that's one of the most critical layers for the cold. Oh, and congrats on finishin' university!!!

 

[STUNNAH]

Rent a moving truck or find someone that has a truck...You're gonna freeze your a$$ off...

 

[Tufbusa]

Personally, I wouldn't attemp a trip like that. One little slick spot and you end up with broken bones!

However, I do ride all winter but only on days when the pavement is dry and the temp reaches 40 + degrees. I have found the best way to fight the cold is to stop the wind. The best way I have found to do that is a rain slicker. Put rain clothes on over your riding gear and it totally stops the wind and makes your ride much more bareable. Hands, feet and face are the only things left. Hands are tough to keep warm but you can keep your face in pretty good shape with one of those hoods that go over the head with a flap that tucks into your shirt covering everything except your eyes. If it's cold, you'll also need some anti fogger to keep the face shield from fogging up. Good Luck to you dude. I agree, I'd try to hitch a ride with someone with a truck?

 

[bajabug]

i did a 4 hours trip in rain and at 40degrees. it was not pleastent to say the least. i did not stop and was in the crouch poistion most of the ride. wwhen i got off i was cold for about 3 days. im sure i wasnt cold but i felt cold for that long. it was an odd feeling. it was worth it though kinda fun going 90 in the rain and cold. i say try it it will be something to remember. BEWARE O' ICE

 

[paineless4u]

it can be done even at 17 degrees on the highway but enjoyable? not!!!
Sleet is even worse, ah the good ol days of being cage-less.

 

[diesel]

You're the guy who wanted all the free stuff from dumping it before, right??

 

[pure_ego]

I think your going to die of hypothermia if you don't atleast have some leather pants and several layers underthat.. I've ridden long distances in 35-40 F (roughly 5-10 celsius) and you will be seriously cold in about an hour with out proper gear. Your hands will be numb unless you have electric gloves or atleast those little hand warmers.. you need to seriously rethink this dude..

I've ridden from knoxville tn to my home.. roughly 3 hours in temps higher than you are thinking about wearing insulated underwear, tshirt,fleece sweatshirt lined blue jeans with a full leather riding suit overtop of all of that.. a boggin' that covered my head/neck area, and cold weather held uno gloves and 3 pair of normal socks, 1 pair of heavy socks and riding boots and was scary cold when I got home... like still freezing after 45 minutes in a steamy bath.

you need a truck dude.

 

[pure_ego]

oh yeah.. and a get a decent quality rain suit cuz you will surely perish if it gets rainy in those temps

 

[Narcissus]

It's easy.

1. Ride 20-30 minutes.
2. Stop.
3. Remove gloves, place them over exhaust while rubbing hands together to thaw.
4. Repeat.

It should be easy enough. I've done trips at -10°C. At just above freezing, you should last 45 minutes or more at a time.

 

[WWJD]

don't use front break in snow, slush or ice. back ALMOST exclusively. almost

 

[paineless4u]

oh yeah your knees will begin to play the drums against the tank from uncontrolled shivering.

shid man I ain't lying

 

[Rhythm]

It's easy.

1. Ride 20-30 minutes.
2. Stop.
3. Remove gloves, place them over exhaust while rubbing hands together to thaw.
4. Repeat.  [/QUOTE]

Been there, done that ! Just make sure not to melt your expensive a$$ gloves like my dumbazz

 

[scooterlord]

hm, first of all about this one:

"You're the guy who wanted all the free stuff from dumping it before, right?? "

what does this have to do with anything? i didn't know that one is not allowed to ride once he dumps his bike.

as for the rest, well, i am determined to do this trip. i know it won't be easy, but i consider myself to be tough in difficult conditions. now, if i am not, this trip will let me know

i am gonna go buy isothermic underwear, socks and a penguin (we call it this here, its the kind of thing that wraps all your head from inside the helmet and all the neck to the shoulders). although i usually do long trip rides like this without stops, i was positive i would stop and get warm by the frame or something. only thing i am afraid of is ice. i hate it. or even snow. i wont continue riding if something like this occurs. and i hate thinking myself a sitting duck amongst km of snow. i'll check on the weather report a day before i start (which will be probably on the 29-31st of december. the day after i'll let you guys know what happens. and please continue ENCOURAGING me with your positive ideas

i hate cold but cold is not what bothers me...

 

[scooterlord]

oh, and just noticed this, sorry for the double post...

'...wanted the free stuff..'

i cant recall myself begging of anything. a couple of guys OFFERED to send me some stuff... but never actually did so, i guess that was their bad, huh?

 

[jay21112]

hm, first of all about this one:

"You're the guy who wanted all the free stuff from dumping it before, right?? "

what does this have to do with anything? i didn't know that one is not allowed to ride once he dumps his bike.

I think he means that since you had to replace things after dumping it once, you know how much trouble (+money) a little slide down the road causes.

The chance of you dumping it again on this ride are higher than any other time due to the freezing conditions and ice.

So... it may be cheaper to rent a truck then it would be to replace fairings.

But hell, if you wanna do it, sounds like a personal challenge from yourself to yourself more than anything. Like, "I wanna see how tough I am. If I can make it across the south pole in just underwear I'll know I'm a tough bastid!"

Hell, we all put ourselves through those challenges, so good luck and if you can't afford heated gloves, buy those hot packs that warm up when you shake them, and stick them in the top of your gloves (and everywhere else you can fit them on your body!)

 

[bajabug]

its a balaclava

Matt

 

[frisbee]

Can you say electric suit ?